This picture was painted by me as part of the "Wings" project, on which I have been working from the beginning of quarantine to this day. The idea was born - with paired canvases of the same size to convey some specific locality, characteristic of a given state, in one picture from a pair, and in another - my impressions of what is the essence of this country. Put back to back realism and subjective abstraction. Exactly subjective abstraction - as the sum of a person's impressions of all the details and facets, specialties and generalized concepts.
This task, which I set for myself in relation to France, was not easy to solve.
I fundamentally changed the subject and color scheme of the image three times. The first approach struck me as too sugary - and in fact there were many non-sugary moments in the history of France. The second is too rude and assertive, ignoring the position of the trendsetter in high and applied art, which rightfully belonged to France for centuries.
... And from this immersion I suddenly saw that, in spite of the most difficult current situation of this state, it was the Spirit who would bless it for a new rebirth - both itself and the kidnapped Europe. Not without reason the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris withstood a monstrous fire.
Therefore, in the picture, fragments of history - the castles of the Loire - are adjacent to references to the history of painting - water lilies, irises, ... in another fragment - a pink sea coast from sunset, there are wildflowers that simply live on this land from birth to death.
All this is united either by the Rose of the Winds or by the ship whose sails are woven of blood and fire, the fire of the descending and incarnating Spirit.
100x150 cm
